Travel Agents are one of the biggest sources of revenue for most hotels. And just like any other business, hotels also value their revenue sources and have programs to maintain a good relationship with them.
Hilton Honors has its Hilton Travel Agent Program and IHG has its own IHG Travel Agent Perks.
Similarly, there’s the Marriott Travel Agent Program. The Marriott Travel Agent Program is a program that allows travel agents to book hotel rooms for their clients at a discounted rate. Travel agents can also earn commissions on room sales.
After the merger with SPG, Marriott is too big for any travel agent to ignore. Luckily, Marriott offers excellent value for Travel Agents and an easy-to-use system.
Marriott Travel Agent Program offers a competitive commission structure, international recognition and a strong relationship with Marriott International.
Like most travel agent programs, Marriott offers two types of benefits:
- Discounts and perks for personal travel
- Commission on client bookings
Marriott Travel Agent Rates for Personal Travel
There are 2 ways a travel agent can book a Marriott property at a discounted rate for personal travel.
- Marriott Fam-tastic Rate, and
- Marriott Travel Agent Rate
Marriott FAM-Tastic Rate
Marriott’s FAMTastic program is a familiarization program of Marriott for travel agents.
A hotel familiarization program is a program designed to give travel agents or hotel employees a thorough understanding of the hotel’s facilities, services, and policies. The program may include tours of the hotel, lectures on hotel procedures, and hands-on training in various aspects of hotel operations. However the most popular benefit is FAM trips.
Fam trips are a great way to stay at a property, see facilities and get a taste of what the property has to offer. They are a great opportunity to meet the team and build contacts.
These come in pretty handy for travel agents as they can confidentaly recommend a property and have contacts in case any client needs help during the stay. This also helps plan and negotiate conferences or events.
When you book a stay for your personal travel with Marriott FAMTastic, you can get good discounts as a travel agent.
The discount can go up to as much as 50% in some cases but generally it would be around 15-45% for most properties.
FAM trips are pretty popular with travel agents where some hotels and resorts even offer free stays once in a while. However, these trips are generally available to agents with big agencies or with a big turnover.
In case of Marriott, there are no free trips. However, any qualifying travel agent can directly book these discounted rates online.
Who is eligible for Marriott FAM-Tastic rates?
Marriott’s FAM-Tastic rate, for personal travel of travel agents.
Travel Agents need to complete Marriott’s Hotel Excellence program (will take a few hours at the most) and earn the status of Marriott’s ‘Hotel Sales Specialist’ (HSS).
Apart from the Hotel Excellence Program, to qualify for Fam-Tastic benefits, you must:
- Complete the latest Continuing Education training.
- Ensure your profile has been updated.
- US advisors must also have a valid IATAN VER or CLIA EMBARC ID number added to their ‘Hotel Excellence!’ profile.
You will also need to provide a valid ID at check-in.
For travel advisors associated with a US agency: an IATA/IATAN VER# photo ID Card or CLIA EMBARC Photo ID Card. IATA/IATAN offers digital cards which are also accepted at check-in.
For advisors associated with an agency outside the US or for agents associated with a AAA location: a valid photo ID and a business card or employment verification letter on the letterhead of their agency is required.
How to book FAM-Tastic rate?
All registered travel agents can book Marriott FAM-Tastic rates on Travel Agents Dashboard.
You can view, modify and cancel the stays on the same dashboard.
FAM-Tastic is a non-qualifying rate. That means you won’t earn commissions, Marriott Bonvoy points or elite status night credits for your FAM-Tastic stays.
The Fam-Tastic rate is eligible for Marriott Bonvoy points for stays arriving at or after May 2, 2022.
The FAM-Tastic rates are limited to a single room per booking, with a maximum of 4 nights per stay. You can’t book more than 1 stay at the same property in 1 calendar year.
Marriott Travel Agent Rate
Not as discounted as Marriott’s Fam-tastic rate, Marriott Travel Agent rate comes with almost negligible restrictions.
The Travel Agent rate does not have a maximum number of nights allowed per stay. It is subject to availability, though.
All active accredited travel agents with a valid ARC/IATA/IATAN/TIDS/CLIA number will be eligible to book the Travel Agent rate. An accredited travel agent may book a maximum of 2 rooms at the Travel Agent rate per stay.
How to book Marriott’s travel agent rate?
Marriott’s travel agent rates can be booked on the travel agent rate page. You can also use the code 7TA to search for travel agent rates.
Booking for Clients
Marriott offers commissions to travel agents when they book on behalf of their clients.
This is a pretty straightforward process.
On the ‘Guest Information’ page, check the box under the ‘Address’ section that says ‘Yes, I am a travel agent or planner’.
Enter your IATA Number in the field provided. Then proceed as normal.
Along with the rates, you will now be able to see if a booking is commissionable or not.
